Soccer

The recent legacy of the Beitar Jerusalem soccer team — back-to-back Israel League champions in ’07-’08 — has been tarnished by the hateful actions of its fans. Supporters of the club frequently find themselves in hot water in for racist anti-Arab chants. Not directly related but not likely to help matters, either: In January, two Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem… More ▸

The video of Hapoel Tel Aviv’s yarmulke-from-a-sock goal celebration has taken a backseat to a bigger story: The club advanced to the group stage of the UEFA Champions League for the first time in team history. But on Thursday, yet another Jewish angle emerged in the world of soccer: Two non-Israeli teams nicknamed “The Jews”… More ▸

On August 18, during a UEFA Champions League playoff match against Red Bull Salzburg in Austria, Hapoel Tel Aviv forward Itai Shechter celebrated his game-winning goal by pulling a Hapoel Tel Aviv kipah from his sock and placing it on his head. Video here: The stunt earned Shechter a yellow card and apparently garnered attention… More ▸